Yesterday was Cyber Monday and many people were shopping online and searching for great deals. For my family, though, shopping online is something we’ve been doing for many years. While we don’t purchase everything online – I am still hesitant to buy clothes online – we do often buy books, electronics, and household items online. We love the convenience of it, especially since we have small children; it eases the process of taking the whole family to the store. Of course, sometimes you can also find items you can’t normally find in stores.

eBay is known to be a place you can look when you are having issues finding items, either locally or on other sites. Many times you can find a gently used version of that item you can’t find or perhaps you’ll be able to find it at a better price.

I’ve actually been scouring the eBay site these past few days in search of a Fijit friend. Apparently this is a hot toy item this Christmas season and it’s one that’s on my daughter’s Santa list. Lucky me, right?! Unfortunately, since it is a hot item, we’re likely to pay a higher price than if we had bought it a few weeks back. But, as parents, we’re willing to do that rather than explain why Santa didn’t find all the items on her wish list. At least, we’re willing to do that since our baby girl is still on the young side. In a few years, we’ll be able to talk frankly with her should we run into a similar situation.

Aside from purchasing hard-to-find items on eBay, you can also find some really good deals. In fact, eBay is currently having 25 days of deals through December 15 and is hosting Cyber Monday deals all week long. They’ve also teamed up with Toys R Us and have a section on the eBay site with this year’s holiday hot toys.

Have fun shopping online this holiday season and enjoy those deals! What hot toy items are on your children’s wish lists this year?

Disclosure: ModernMami.com is a member of the eBay Parent Panel, a compensated program.

With our lives being as hectic as they are most days, shopping online is something that we’ve often times opted for over going to the store. It’s so much easier than having to load the car with the kids, keep them entertained, and deal with traffic and horrendous Florida heat. Plus, you save on gas money, which is something that can’t be overlooked these days!

However, you can’t always wait for items to be shipped to you; there are times you may need it right away. Or, at the very least, it would be nice if you could have it faster, even if it’s not a must. That’s why I was excited to find out that Walmart now offers a free Pick Up Today program. You browse the Walmart site, find items showing the Pick Up Today option (see image below), choose that as your shipping method, and then pick up your item(s) later that same day at your local store. Here’s why I think this is genius.

Benefits of Walmart’s Pick Up Today

I can browse on my own time and at my own pace, with no kids in tow.

Shipping is free.

I can quickly run into the store to pick up the item, which is already paid for, and walk right back out, avoiding long check-out lines.

As part of the Walmart Moms program, we were given an opportunity to test out the Pick Up Today feature. As I browsed the site, I found that my local store didn’t have as many items available for Pick Up Today as I had hoped. Additionally, items that I knew were in stock (because I had seen them at the store previously) were not showing as available for Pick Up Today. So, as is true with the majority of new programs, there are a few things about the Pick Up Today feature that could still use improvement.

What Can be Improved About Pick Up Today

It would be nice to be able to sort items by those that are available for Pick Up Today. That way, you wouldn’t have to browse through all in an effort to find out what’s available.

More products need to be available for Pick Up Today. At least for my local preferred store, there was a limited availability of products; perhaps other stores have a larger inventory.

As the Pick Up Today feature improves and more items become available, I can see my family using it more and more. It was so easy to purchase a new activity station for baby boy, pay for it ahead of time, and then pick it up a few hours later at the store. I was in and out of the store within 10 minutes, and had I been alone and not with both kids, it would have been much faster.

Imagine the possibilities! Wouldn’t it be great to do grocery shopping like this? Seriously, I would love to be able to shop for my groceries online, choose Pick Up Today as an option, and then a few hours later head to the store to pick up my order and head right back home. What do you say Walmart? Can you work that out for us busy parents?

Do you enjoy shopping online? Do you think the Pick Up Today feature is something you’d use?

Disclosure: As a member of the Walmart Moms program, I was compensated for this post. As always, all opinions are my own.

Do you go shopping on Black Friday? Do you hit the stores at 4 and 5 am? I’ve only really done that once. But, I definitely don’t stay up overnight and wait in line all night to get a good spot.

This year, I’m not even sure that I’ll be heading out at all. I’m still debating.

I know many of you tackle shopping aggressively, so I wanted to share with you a few Black Friday deals I’ve come across recently. Hopefully they give you a head start on your Black Friday shopping.

Toys R Us

Thanksgiving through Saturday (11/28) Save up to 60% on over 100 online-only Cyber Deals!

Amazon.com

Black Friday Deals Week – Many items from video games and toys to cameras and other electronics.

Amazon also has their Holiday Toy List available.

My Black Friday Deals

This is a new site that helps shoppers find the best deals on Black Friday.

Twenty bloggers, led by Melissa Garcia, the “money-saving mom,” and Courtney Velasquez of Giftfully Simple, will hit stores on Black Friday and upload photos and tips through Whrrl to My Black Friday Deals. You can then vote on the deals you like the best and even upload your own photos via Flickr or Whrrl. Follow the action and tag your experience with the hashtag #BFDeals.

I hope you find some great deals out there to get an early start on your holiday shopping (or finish your shopping for some of you). Don’t let the craziness of Black Friday get to you, though! There’s always Cyber Monday too!

I’ve been thinking more and more lately that I really need to shop online more often. Even my husband made a comment the other day that we might need to look to online stores and boutiques for finding clothes and shoes for baby girl. It’s not that we can’t shop at local stores. It’s that we have trouble finding fun, unique, and funky clothes that fit her very eccentric style.

I have similar reasons as well. For example, it’s hard for me to find cute shoes that aren’t either completely for a high school girl or for an old lady. Those that are in between are more for business/work purposes. Of course the sheer convenience of online shopping also plays a factor. We all know we could stand to save a little bit of time whenever we can.

But, although I have no problems buying electronics, books, and other household items online, I am hesitant when it comes to clothes and shoes. What if they don’t fit right? What if it looks great on the model used in the item description, but when I put it on it looks totally different? What if it’s not comfortable? What if my little toe hits the strap of the sandal in just the wrong place so that I end up not being able to walk after 30 minutes of wearing them?

I posed that last question to Miss Britt who also runs an online shopping blog for women. Her advice was to buy styles that you already know work well. She also said that Amazon has a pretty good return program. And, I’ve heard the same for many other online stores, some who even have free shipping both ways.

So, I’ve decided to look online more often for my shopping needs. I’m even going to give buying clothes and shoes a whirl. Dare I also give online grocery shopping a spin? Hmmmm….

Here are a few deals I’ve found so far that I think will help me save time (shopping time anyway), find some products for the house, and keep me looking fabulous!